TIME FOR ACTION
SAYING desperate times require desperate measures, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan yesterday declared war on criminals as the State unveiled a programme of heightened police action and appealed to citizens to stay home during the curfew hours of 9 pm to 5 am at six listed regional corporations.

‘The war is on…’
Persons arrested and detained under the limited state of emergency in force throughout north, south, east and central Trinidad for the next 14 days, will not be immediately allowed bail, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan indicated yesterday.AG vows to make country safe again

Cops can arrest without charge
ANY CITIZEN who is arrested can be detained by the police without charge for at least 24 hours, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan advised yesterday as the police took up extraordinary stop and search powers under emergency orders relating to six local government corporations.

Kamla: No need for anxiety
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar last evening assured citizens that the state of emergency was a well thought-out plan which will be carried out with precision.

Jack: No apology for emergency
Minister of Works and Infrastructure Jack Warner yesterday said Government makes no apology for the limited state of emergency in its bid to fight the upsurge in the crime rate in hot spot areas.

Devant: No one will be stranded
There were long lines for buses and maxi taxis at City Gate last evening, as workers and commuters in Port-of-Spain rushed to get home before the main transportation hub shut down at 8 pm, ahead of the curfew which took effect at 9 pm.

Sandy: Heightened patrol by cops
Police officers will conduct heightened patrols throughout the country during the next 14 days. Minister of National Security Brig John Sandy yesterday confirmed that the state of emergency will run for the period but if an extension becomes necessary after that time, the matter will be taken to Cabinet for approval.

Curfew causes havoc with night events
Meetings were held yesterday afternoon by a large number of event co-ordinators to decide whether they should go ahead with plans after Government announced a limited state of emergency.

Bar owners, taxi drivers hit curfew
IT WAS business as usual in San Fernando yesterday on the first day of the imposition of a limited state of emergency as citizens went about their day to day activities.

Unions concerned over State of Emergency
Trade union leaders have expressed concern over the State of Emergency and curfew announced by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar but all agreed Government could not continue to sit idly by in light of the present crime situation.

It’s an attempt to undermine unions
An hour before Government’s limited state of emergency kicked in, president general of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union Ancel Roget accused Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of attempting to undermine the labour movement by enforcing a limited curfew in hot spot crime areas.

South businessmen support emergency
President of the San Fernando Business Association (SFBA), Daphne Bartlett, is in full support of the limited state of emergency which took effect from midnight on Sunday.

St James to get some sleep
ST JAMES, the city that never sleeps, will be having regular night naps for the next two weeks as businessmen said they are willing to adjust to the curfew because of the high crime rate in the area.

Muslims look for extended curfew
Fasting Muslims who are observing the holy month of Ramadan hope Government will extend their curfew by half-an-hour for them to observe their nightly prayers at their mosques.

PNM backs Government in crime war
THE OPPOSITION People’s National Movement (PNM) yesterday said it was not opposed to Government’s declaration of a limited state of emergency to deal with the country’s crime problem.

Khan: Rowley’s letter forced emergency
Chairman of the People’s National Movement (PNM) Franklin Khan says Government has finally recognised the gravity of the crime situation in the country.

PNM: State of Emergency not properly executed
The People’s National Movement (PNM) has nothing against the declaration of the State of Emergency in principle, Party Chairman Franklin Khan said yesterday at a press conference at Balisier House.

Curfew backed but concern over image
Filled with little hope and lots of scepticism, residents of areas designated as “hot spots” by the Government are ready and willing to co-operate with the imposed 9 pm to 5 am curfew.

State of Emergency an inevitable response
Trinidad and Tobago, which woke up yesterday under a State of Emergency, went to bed last night with hope for the efficacy of the actions undertaken under that extreme security umbrella. This country has been there before. The emergency declared into being by President Max Richards stands to be measured both for cause and effect against episodes relatively fresh in public and institutional memory.

Let’s support state of emergency
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s announcement on Sunday night that the National Security Council had decided to implement a limited state of emergency would have come as a surprise to many

Send Gibbs home!
President of the Police Social and Welfare Association Sgt Anand Ramesar yesterday called on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to act swiftly and remove Police commissioner Dwayne Gibbs as Head of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service because he fells that he has not only failed fellow police officers but has let down all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.

2 gunmen killed by cops
SEVEN HOURS after this country was placed under a limited state of emergency police officers swung into action killing two thieves and apprehending a third, during a foiled early morning robbery at an Arima racing pool yesterday.

3 Responses to “Time for Action: ‘The war is on…’”

CULTURAL MISGUIDANCE TO THE BONE
True Government leadership exemplifies being self-sufficient your role as the representative of the people is particularly critical, and is responsible for every constituency, group and interest that has chosen and appointer you, which should be priority number one.
This present fininancial situation in Trinidad & Tobago should be a blessing, the GDP is over 6 billion annually, the annual growth is 7.% – Now is the time to extend trade with President Barrack Obama, revolutionizing solar technology, importing special equipment, building a foundry, researching cures for cancer & Alzheimer, and a motor rail system to enhance the curbing of global warming and the energy crisis, discussions and negotiations was on the agenda decades ago and is the direct result of ours and the West Indies being so underdeveloped, while summits just ensure the stockpiling of oil and natural products which is crucial for those foreign economic stability.
It is imperative the battle must starts with productivity and performance in both from the ground floor to the executive suites, with increased productivity there’ll be less wage cut back, there are some people who never worked in this country, some 2-3 hr. a day especially in the Borough and City council, who cannot wait to retire and are now fighting for their full pension, never allowing themselves to the T&T way of life but instead the outside mentality the cable, cell phone and brand names it is clear that they are fighting now at the end, they simply wants what they are not entitled too. That’s why with intelligent regulation; bonuses for those who deserve it in both sectors would be rewarded; as a result clouds of recession that haunts the workplace time after time would end the conundrum.

MIGRATION
Someone must tell the true trials and tribulation that people go through without having a plan, a trade, secondary education and a green card serious thought should go into your financial and material status at home, abandoning your culture, natural foods, herbs, spices, jobs and love ones further contributes to child neglect, teenage pregnancy and health risks migrating to America with a strong certain possibility of doing menial jobs followed by a 5 years setback in financial readiness in order to move forward. There is a perception that America posse the best, 100% of the clothes and electronics comes from China, the standard of education is higher in the West Indies and it’s free while college or University tuition could cost 4 – 5 thousand dollars a semester, it cost $15,000.00 in hospital care for a broken foot, $100,000.00 for a heart transplant, the food is genetically altered in order to feed the world, yet fluoridations cannot plant citrus fruits for fare of “so call” spread of canker dieses, and with new immigration laws permanent residence face easy deportation, after years of contributing to the land of the free, serving in the arm forces even those who had migrated there under 5yrs. old, migration works for Government exchange programs, scholarships or single people who plans to further their studies and return to contribute to their country.
The high stress level, discrimination, rent and weather change in America makes living demanding. Statistic coming out of Washington in 2002; say that 37 million people living in poverty, that’s 12.7 % of the population of the richest country on earth, 31.1 million citizens live below the poverty level, 45.8 million without health insurance, parts of Pembroke Illinois some residence there has no running water, Detroit is the poorest city in America 10,000 people there are homeless. In Hartford Connecticut 65% of single moms are 2 pay cheques away from poverty, in Kentucky 65% of the people live in poverty, the report found that the net average wealth of the Latino families was $7,935, and for Black American was $5,988 annually, while the Whites was $88,651 whereas the economic situation of Blacks and Latinos fell by 27 % the report said.
Taking advantage of the have -knots has become big business; 63 percent of those incarcerated are from the Black or Latino minorities, which make up only one fourth of the overall population of the US; and more than 100,000 inmates are undocumented immigrants, there are even ridicules restrictions on sleeping jobs which pays less and less as new immigrants comes for vacation or overstay, the biggest difference in comparison living in America is the abundance of facilities.

CRIME
It is virtually impossible to permanently solve the crime problem, the leadership authorities has to program its youths to get involve in agriculture, the arts, business, architecture etc. unless by imposing and enforce on a system of cultural values that cultivates living, a culture that tells people that we can rid ourselves of crimes, only if we focus on the individual on his or her values and reinforce mechanisms of indoctrination at the level of the church, the school and the family. Trinbago is not a happy go lucky place, we love foreign mentality and intervention, never taking charge, and we adjust to others dictating to us.
No FBI or Scotland Yard could dictate to us our corruption those experts could make decision base on their environment and values, the representative of the people must understand the meaning of the speed of thought it’s the birth of an extraordinary problem and trying to make sense of it, our Prime Minister Patrick Manning must put together a delegation going into Laventille and other places beyond the reach of transport to discuss the needs of the community, our senior citizens and the handy capable, crime and pending problems with open minds, objectives and a willing determination to engage in dialogue, in order to keep the culture alive by refusing to communicate would just create an unstoppable momentum in lawlessness, the upper elite and Ministers with their malevolent behavior deeply rooted in the T&T culture, their educational background, favoritism, bribe and their foreign banks account investigated followed by swift indictment bringing back to the normal order of things, else force must be used against force massive and continuous.
Trinidad and Tobago’s crack, cocaine and H.I.V. Aids treatment and counseling has been left on the back burner and so many other issues, including vagrancy has never been effectively dealt with, due to the wide range of drugs and substances that are collectively known as designer drugs. It is difficult to predict the risk associated with its use, it is known that many are highly addictive and do not require long term use to result in serious and or life threatening effects. The senseless crime rate and the Government’s failure to condone the police alcohol and abusive power, a system that tolerates corruption, decedents, kidnapping and gun availability [understand ethnic cleansing] is creating a climate of fare for our senior citizens, relocating citizens and those visitors and expatriates patronizing the carnival season, the beaches or and Tobago recognizes the existence of the “frustrated want to be” and is a posing question of international concern, like mothers and fathers being afraid of their own children has legitimate concerns, the reliability of security has never been so crucial than now.
Offenders and returning addicts adjusting to the harsh reality, is that they will be there for a long time coming to terms, they has disappointed their future, integrating into society and being part of the solution rather than the problem. Some point in time, in the near future we have to look for a few good MEN a certain ritual, a certain protocol, a code of conduct protecting woman and promoting manhood, the gunmen has to know drive by, illegal drug bust, retribution which is the decadence of today, the old people use to say “what goes around comes around”, your sons and daughters would be soon down under caught up in the same game. Right here right now, Roytech, UWI is waiting on you – them doors are wide open, the notion of we being a third world country is a misguided perception, all the mechanism to educate which is on the [net] the most powerful instrument which can be used to make change, there are things like breathalyzer and raider that we could put on the back burner, understand me well, the ability to drive safely & responsibly should be a 10 yrs. guarantee not meeting that standard must result in we getting serious with fines and suspensions, but we are still backward in moving our country & our citizens forward, fathers and mothers brothers and sisters we’ll must assume a position of leadership, it doesn’t matter your income, it don’t have to be their outcome addiction is not going to rule, the children of today future is now…. there shall be no tears in the end.

DEVIDED BY BOUNDRIES
East Indians and Africans comprise the majority of the population, but the unresolved race issues and ignorance of history continue to separate them. There are many of both races that made remarkable contributions to the culture and history that has never been spoken Toney Williams is responsible for the introduction of the 4th and 5th in pan and the spider web, Solomon Hochoy, Badase S. Maraj, Frankie Francis, Ashford Sinanan, Dr Rudrunath Capildeo, Eugene Chen even Eric Williams but most believe that it was all blacks. Until we start educating children earlier before elementary school that blacks and Indians are all parts of our community are equal yet have some cultural differences, which should be celebrated not scorned, we can’t get rid of racism. Jokes in the rum shop should not go unchallenged.
We are all to be blame for these assertions when we don’t challenge these ideas and views that we hear from young children and peers. Racism is not just blatant hatred but subtle prejudice “he or she only got the job because they was black” etc. when they are agreed with by bystanders and are not questioned. Or comments like “they’re all the same” are accepted as fact. Unfortunately there will always be somebody full of unreasoning hate and/or fear towards those who are different. We also must be fully aware of the so call contributation culturally and not bringing something to the table but a segregated label, further weakens cultural ties and must revisit their history.
Division in the upper echelon of society, their imprint was felt in the millions of dollars it cost in crimes such as the drug trade is squarely blamed on Blacks they are stereotyped, just like in other countries as being lazy, violent and unproductive whose faces make the cover of the newspapers daily when drug busts are made. While the White and Syrian/Lebanese financiers of the hard-core cocaine, hashish and crack drug trade is never convicted.

A DIEING CULTURE…
What was once called the New York of the Caribbean enrich in a rich cultural heritage the world had never seen, the unique ability to bring a diverse audience to T&T to witness this annual ritual the extraordinary splendor, revealing portrayal of the ancient historic tribal costumes originated before the early 1800 call the greatest show, the calypso, the steel pan, the Robbers, the tambo bamboo, the food and the ambiance has now become a thing of the past. Young woman of today are not even interested in baking bread, sweet bread, drops and cooking, making sorrel, muby or ginger beer, all has been replaced by chubby KFC, Subway and Royal Castle.
The orchestration that once went into most calypso introduction of calypsos like ‘’sugar boom sugar boom’’ Lauren etc. has now been replaced by computer generated over sample music and Rapso, the preparation, lyrical contents and the observation of Trinbago and the world’s current events that goes into the creativity, that comes from consistent researching is no longer applied, the high standard, content and it’s many forms of language application, the dress code even the television production has dropped beyond measure.
We was instrumental in introducing the world to carnival, but with the mass production of costumes and their synthetic fabrics further commercialize the art, with big prices and small costume made a big rise in entrepreneurs, leaving senior citizens without a section wire benders [Cito] and designers of the art work become obsolete, so Canada & London has the greatest show lock down, what we have the ability to visit the beach or pitch lake by day and the tent at night, what’s in store for the average visitor is eventful as it has always been, the ambiance and the prelude to the carnival we’ve set the pace.
The disc jockey’s amplified sound “the big truck” has changed the paste and the tone, and with the crowd love for dub and rap is the direct results in putting the steel bands on slow, taking away their incentive of practicing more tunes and with their early elimination from panorama, makes it impossible to rally out the full carnival season, bringing mass and or even coming on the road.
The best thing that ever happened to Tobago in years is the jazz festival. Tobago should strongly consider carnival at a later date, which would give planning more taught so foreigners & Trinis could go over strengthening the festival activities financially & with costumes and pan. The Ministry of culture promoting our Borough Day, Wee beat and other festivals through the consulate offices abroad, all fetes music should be restricted to DJ music, and all street mass bands using Steel and brass Bands, an Island wide Panorama [the Mecca of Pan] should be held with semis and finals in different venues, even points deduction for incorrect dialect in the soca monarch. It’s about time we have a National School of Music with national Steel and Instrumental Orchestra to represent us all over the world, and complement our heroes with Bertie Marshall Parkway, Learie Constantine Parkway or Tony Williams Parkway, Eastern Parkway and Horatio Nelson st. has no calling in the land of carnival.

The end
My friends be aware that we must move in the direction of justice and human dignity, the normal flow in the current of a river. Let us not forget the essence of love and the promised of a bright future for all human beings which is a great asset that will serve our purpose in keeping us together to build a new world order, and to make a better place full of blessings; a T&T devoid of crime & addictions, and the increasing blessings of Almighty God and the righteous management. Let us all join hands in hand in playing our role in this fulfillment, in a new Trinbago. Some people laugh at people who try to be righteous, striving to be righteous, and being in accord with the creator and his divine plan is a position of weakness. We must stand up right now for the truth, which will bring righteousness; true brotherhood is when everyone does his or her part.
The strong should help the weak, it is necessary for us all to concentrate on being in tune with each other, and without understanding we have nothing.
Bringing back the natural order of things is a very hard job, but being the greatest creators of all we can do the job, a commitment to everyone to build a better nation and ideologically must commemorate those who fought before us to free us from being dependent, if a race and it’s inhabitance has no recorded history, it’s achievements would be forgotten and in time would be claimed by other groups, it’s imperative for everyone to see the light then Trinbagonians could speak with true affection of ‘’ the land of liberty’’ call sweet sweet T&T and like the fighters before us that must count their efforts, who pave the way for us and now we will for those who will follow.

What is breading this menace in society-the world at large. Every Iota of ideas thrown out into society can only be seen as bringing down society.
I have expressed this view time after time that the Guards at the gate have forsaken their post. The Spiritual Guardians of Religion has crumbled for the vanity of the world.
3-score plus 10- these are the years that is granted unto humans, after comes death- but no one is preparing for it. Living life to the fullest 70-80-90 years is all we are concerned with.
In this pursuit death seems to far off into the future. This materialism has taken over the Churches, the Schools, the Educational System, the very FABRIC OF SOCIETY.This is what is breading Criminals- Every act carried out against another human being can be summed up in this Materialistic Ideology.
Often under the intoxicant of Drugs and other Substances.People are only caught up in this present Process- GREED, LUST, POWER. Check it out my dear people: Who is Richer than Who?, Who have more Power?, Who have better living conditions?, Who have Opportunities?, Who have been born with the Gold Spoon in their Mouth ? Who do and Who don’t?
Nothing of the Religious nature is being instilled in our Young People. Only Segregation, Conflicts, and the number # $$$ sign is being communicated to them.
What a deplorable state of affairs has come upon us. The Eastern Coast of the United States was hit with an Earthquake 6.0 on the Richter Scale Today. Who ever thought that this was coming. The Nations Capital was in the Prime to the Shock.
The Unseen and the Supernatural is speaking to us, but who is listening to this still small voice of the conscience? How long would Society be Prop by Violence? Arm Forces, and Guns cannot fix this Loose Morals, and Stupor that has come upon Us. Only Brokenness, Contrition of Heart and Personal Repentance by All of Us.
Turning back to the Almighty-” If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:14. If not? What is our Solution? Wise of Heart? Let us know….